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Fresh off a toppling of Kansas City, the Chargers make their second stop on their whirlwind tour of the AFC West to face another familiar foe.
It’s Jim Harbaugh versus Pete Carroll, a coaching rivalry that began when Harbaugh was at Stanford and Carroll was at USC, and continued with Harbaugh at the San Francisco 49ers and Carroll at the Seattle Seahawks.
“You’d be friends,” Harbaugh said. “You’d be almost like brothers if it wasn’t for being on opposite sidelines. It’s the kind of guy you’d send a Christmas card to, but you don’t, because you’re too busy trying to scratch each other’s eyeballs out. Nature of the business. Dog-eat-dog.”
Like the Chargers, the Raiders opened with a win on the road, a 20-13 victory at New England.
Jim Harbaugh’s first job coaching in the NFL came with the Oakland Raiders, where Al Davis gave him the opportunity to work long hours and understand how to coach.
The Las Vegas defense clamped down in that one, allowing the Patriots just 60 yards on the ground and a four-of-14 performance on third downs.
Geno Smith threw for 362 yards in his Raiders debut, and rookie Ashton Jeanty ran for his first NFL touchdown.
Tight end Brock Bowers had five catches for 103 yards before leaving the game with a banged-up knee.
How the Chargers can win: Get to Smith, who was sacked four times in the opener. Don’t allow him the time to complete those deep passes. Get a command performance from that array of receivers who put on a show in Brazil. Let Justin Herbert keep the Raiders’ defense honest by tearing off an off-schedule run or two.
How the Raiders can win: Put the ball in the hands of Bowers, providing he’s back up to full speed. Get a breakout game from Jeanty, who did score against the Patriots but only averaged two yards per carry. Take advantage of a reshuffled Chargers offensive line, something the Chiefs couldn’t do.
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Key Injuries
Chargers: S Elijah Molden (hamstring) out, LB Denzel Perryman (ankle) out, LB Del’Shawn Phillips (toe) questionable.
Raiders: TE Brock Bowers (knee), practiced Saturday and according to Carroll “looked terrific.” G Jackson Powers-Johnson (concussion) out.
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How to watch and listen to Chargers vs. Raiders
The Chargers and Raiders will play at 7 p.m. Monday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The game will be available nationally on ESPN and ESPN Deportes and will be shown on ABC in the Los Angeles area. In Southern California, fans can listen to the game on 640 AM or 105.5 FM (Español).
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Betting lines for Chargers vs. Raiders
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Who will win Chargers vs. Raiders?
Sam Farmer’s pick: Whereas the Raiders are limited on offense, the Chargers have lots of places to spread the ball, especially with the way receivers Quentin Johnston and Keenan Allen looked in the opener. Omarion Hampton gets the edge in the battle of rookie running backs. Chargers 28, Raiders 17
